PDR Honored with Innovation Award

Workplace Practice Recognized for Contributions to the “Office of the Future”

PDR, a leading workplace consulting, design and architecture firm, received the first Innovation Award for Significant Advances in the Professional Practice of Real Estate at the Stanford Alexander Center’s (The Center) Innovation Symposium on June 4, 2014.

The Center, a part of the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston (UH), established the Innovative Practice Award Program. The program’s Innovation Award recognizes PDR’s Work+Place expertise and its contribution to the development of The Center’s “Office of the Future” research, which focuses on commercial office facilities, workplace performance and business success. PDR employs over 40 UH alumni, including six principals. PDR and its principals were a fundamental part of UH’s commitment to the development and application of best practices in the real estate profession.

“PDR is honored to be named as the first recipient of the Stanford Alexander Center’s Innovation Award,” said Drew Patton, chairman of PDR. “It is a recognition of the growing impact of the workplace on business success — a conviction that continues to shape our practice.  For our clients the workplace is now a strategic system that has become an essential tool in their drive for innovation and competitiveness.”

Houston-based PDR, a pioneer in the rapidly evolving world of high performance workplaces, has built a global practice working with leading corporations including top energy companies.  With their focus on their clients’ businesses and the challenges, PDR has developed an integrated approach that connects decisions about the work environment to business mission and goals. Currently, the company has over 8,000,000 square feet of high performance workspace in design or under construction including the new, 385-acre ExxonMobil campus just north of Houston.

The ambitious agenda for the Symposium included a seminar on the “Office of the Future” moderated by Drew Lewis of Griffin Partners, the chairman of the Innovative Practices Task Force, with presentations from Brandon Butler, who holds a 2014 MBA in Real Estate; Tracy Bower, PhD. of Herman Miller, and Dean Strombom of Gensler. For the case study panel discussion, Drew Patton joined other leaders from the Houston real estate community including Chuck Cervas, program manager for BP’s Westlake Campus; Brandon Houston, Trammel Crow Company; John Anderson, Dresser-Rand (formerly El Paso) and John Mooz of Hines. 

PDR’s current and recent clients include Accenture, ConocoPhillips, Imperial Oil, Murphy Oil and Eaton Corporation. The 37 year-old firm has over 150 employees working to provide its global clientele with a full range of integrated services such as workplace strategy, transition management, visual communications, master planning, design and architecture.